Marine vessels, whether for salt or fresh water, nevertheless have requirements for bearing replacement. Such replacement—for a relatively inexpensive bearing item—often renders the vessel inoperative for a period of several days while the propeller, rudder, and drive shaft are removed in order to repair or replace a water lubricated bearing. Brown water is characterized by silt, mud, and debris. River tow-boats, tug boats and cutter head dredges in such brown water are prone to costly delays and repair bills. The invention reduces such expenses and provides a simple and efficient bearing replacement method and apparatus which is highly advantageous and may even be used by non trained divers working under water for such repair efforts.
A clearance space between the end of the bearing assemblage and the front part of the propeller hub is often fouled by lines, fishing nets and sundry other debris. Such material winds around the drive shaft and fills this space in a so-called “beehive” fashion. So completely does the debris jam this space that even very high horsepower engines have been stalled by the fouling. Moreover, such debris blocks water flow through the bearing and thus hastens bearing failure. The invention, to a high degree, guards against such failures.
A bearing assemblage in accordance with the invention, for the first time, satisfactorily teaches and claims a housing and assemblage configuration that allows bearing replacement without undue cost and delay in vessel operations.